
When Meebo co-founder Elaine Wherry created her social, chat aggregator and personalized content company, she decided to keep a diary of all the mistakes she made along the way. To her surprise, she found she wasn't alone in the types of gaffes she committed when moving from individual employee to manager to a high-level muckety-muck. During a session at the Silicon Valley Code Camp, Wherry, who left Meebo earlier this year prior to its acquisition by Google, laid out some of the common challenges folks make in the migration from individual contributor to CTO. "I found the more experience I gained, the sooner I was able to identify mistakes before they happened," says Wherry.,
Worker Bee to Manager
At some point, a developer may find the boss tapping them on the shoulder, asking them to be a manager. "And you say, 'Cool, but can I still code?'" says Wherry, citing a typical response she's seen time and again. Newly minted managers think they'll put in 110 percent and pitch in by continuing to code while also taking on their new role, mistakenly thinking it will earn them respect with the team they're overseeing. It won't. "Your team will not be impressed. Instead, they'll wonder why they haven't had a one-on-one [discussion] with you for two weeks," Wherry warns, citing other frequent mistakes such as avoiding making the tough calls in an effort to be warm and fuzzy. The move from individual contributor to manager is one of the most challenging transitions in an upward career path, because typically there is no training, she notes. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_SipZKove4&w=560&h=315]Manager to Director
Another tap on the shoulder by your boss. But this time, your migration up the proverbial corporate ladder is one that may take you outside of your comfort zone. Rather than managing just your team, you will be asked to manage other teams as well. That's when history often repeats itself. In an effort to divide and conquer, you ask someone on your team to be an impromptu manager, which morphs into a permanent situation. "There is no support for the new manager," Wherry says. Newly anointed directors need to give managers the parameters within which they can operate autonomously—neither micromanaging nor leaving subordinates to flounder— and to repeatedly emphasize the goals the team should strive for while letting the managers decide how to pursue them, Wherry advises. Directors often feel that if they could level up to a vice president title, "life would be so much better," because they would be empowered to make changes they desire, Wherry says.Leveling Up
Ah, but once you reach the VP stage, there's no room for:- Excuses
- Surprises
- Flaws